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Comparing Creatures
OBJECTIVE: Through a compare-and-contrast exercise, students
will develop an understanding of adaptations that help three
animals survive in their native habitats in the wilds of China.
2. Share the information on the “China’s Animals: Fast Facts” printable
to provide more facts about pandas, golden monkeys, and snow
leopards.
TIME REQUIRED: Two 20-minute parts. Optional: Additional time
to view the movie Born in China.
3. On your chalkboard or whiteboard draw three columns and label
them: animal, habitat, and adaptations. Write down giant panda,
golden snub-nosed monkey, and snow leopard in the animal
column. As a class, have students identify the type of environment
(habitat) each animal lives in and the features (adaptations) that
help them survive in those habitats.
MATERIALS: Globe or world map; “China’s Animals: Fast Facts”
printable; “Comparing Creatures” printable skills sheet
Born in China materials ©
2017 Disney Enterprises, Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Grades 2–3 Lesson
STANDARDS
SCIENCE
• NGSS/2-LS4.1 Make observations of plants and animals to
compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
• NGSS/3-LS4.3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a
particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive
less well, and some cannot survive at all.
ELA
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2-3.1 Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led)
with diverse partners.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2-3.4 Determine the meaning of general
academic and domain-specific words and phrases.
SOCIAL STUDIES
• NCSS: Culture; People, Places & Environments
Skills sheet: Hand out the “Comparing Creatures” skills sheet. Walk
students through the instructions, and then have them work in pairs
to complete the activity. (Answers below include information from the
“China’s Animals: Fast Facts” printable.)
Giant Panda Features—covered in fur; eats bamboo; lives in mountain forests;
thumblike bone; strong jaws; vulnerable species; lives where it’s cold; eats plants;
thick, warm coat.
Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey Features—covered in fur; lives in mountain forests;
endangered species; climbs trees; blue face; orange hair; eats mainly plants; short
nose; long tail; thick, warm coat.
Snow Leopard Features—covered in fur; black-circled rings; lives in rocky parts of
mountains; endangered species; paws act as snowshoes; hunts other animals; lives
where it’s cold; jumps long distances; long tail; thick, warm coat.
Shared Features—(will include a combination of the above, depending on which
two animals students choose.)
BORN IN CHINA MOVIE TIE-IN
PART 1: HABITATS
1. Call on a volunteer to locate China on a globe or world map.
Point out some of the diverse types of regions located in China,
such as the vast Gobi Desert in the north, central mountain forests,
and snow-covered Himalayas in the west.
2. Explain what a habitat is. (The place and natural conditions in
which a plant, an animal, or another organism lives.) Give students
an example of a habitat, such as a pond, and the animals that live
there, such as frogs, fish, and birds. Find out what types of creatures
students think might be found in each of China’s regions/habitats.
3. Provide three examples of animals that live in China and the
habitats where they can be found:
• giant panda/central mountain forests
• golden snub-nosed monkey/central mountain forests
• snow leopard/western mountains, such as the Himalayas
4. Follow up by showing images of each animal found on pages 8–16
of the Born in China Educator’s Guide. Point out features of each
animal and its habitat.
BEFORE VIEWING
1. April 22 is Earth Day. Ask your class: What is Earth Day? (Answer:
It’s a day when people hold events to show their support for
protecting the environment.) Explain that to help celebrate Earth
Day, students will be watching a movie called Born in China. Ask:
Based on the movie’s title, and what you’ve learned, what do you
think the film will be about? (Answer might be: A journey into China
to learn about families of animals that live there.)
3. Have students recall the three animals—giant pandas, golden
snub-nosed monkeys, and snow leopards—they learned about in
the lesson. Inform students to keep an eye out for these creatures as
they watch the movie.
AFTER VIEWING: Ask the following post-viewing questions to assess
students’ understanding of the film.
1.Describe the type of family each animal has. Are there any
similarities? Differences?
2.What problems affect each family’s survival in the wild?
EXTENSIONS
PART 2: ADAPTATIONS
1. Discuss the idea of adaptations—features that help an organism
survive in its habitat. Share the following examples of adaptations
with students:
•Giant pandas have strong jaws to crush the tough stalks of plants
called bamboo—their main food source.
•The hands of golden snub-nosed monkeys are covered in fur. They
act like mittens to protect the monkeys from the cold.
•Snow leopards have large paws that act like snowshoes. They help
the animals walk across the snow without sinking.
Generously sponsored by
You can find dozens of STEAM extension activities in the Born in China
Educator’s Guide and Activity Packet. Here are some examples:
•Get students moving while they discover China’s creatures by
holding an “Animal Field Day”; see pages 20–24 in the Born in China
Educator’s Guide.
•Get creative by having students use their art
skills to complete the “Panda Storyboard”;
see page 18 in the Born in China Activity Packet.
Sponsored Educational Materials
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CHINA’S ANIMALS: FAST FACTS
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Giant pandas are a type of bear. They are known for the black and white
markings on their fur. Pandas live in the snowy mountain forests of
central China. They have woolly coats to help them stay warm in their
cold habitat. Although pandas climb trees at all ages, adults tend to
spend most of their time on the ground.
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Giant Panda
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Pandas eat mostly bamboo. They have strong jaws to crunch through
this plant’s tough stalks. Pandas also have a thumblike bone in their
wrists. They use it to hold bamboo stalks as they eat.
Giant pandas are vulnerable in the wild. This means they are likely to
become endangered, or at risk of becoming extinct. The main threat to
pandas is loss of their habitat from farming, logging, and growing cities.
Golden SnubNosed Monkey
These monkeys live in mountain forests. They share some of this habitat
with giant pandas. The monkeys spend almost all of their time in the
treetops. They eat bark, seeds, and lichen (a plantlike fungus). They also
eat leaves, buds, fruit, insects, birds, and bird eggs.
The monkeys’ thick orange fur keeps them warm in their cold habitat.
It even covers their hands like mittens. Golden monkeys have pale blue
faces and flat noses. Some scientists think a flat nose prevents frostbite,
when freezing temperatures damage tissues. The monkeys’ tails are
almost as long as their bodies.
Golden monkeys are endangered. They face habitat loss from farming
and land development. People also hunt the animals for their golden fur,
which is used in traditional medicines.
Snow leopards
live inwritten
the mountains
western China.
habitat issymbols.
( China’s
is not
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through
Snow
Leopard language
rocky, cold, and dry. The cats have a thick coat of fur that is white to
yellow in color. The coat is covered in gray speckles as well as blackcircled rings called rosettes. The pattern acts as camouflage, which
helps them blend in with their surroundings. It also helps the leopards
sneak up on animals they hunt, such as wild goats and sheep.
A snow leopard can jump almost the length of a school bus. Its tail is
almost as long as its body, and helps the leopard balance as it leaps.
The cats can also wrap their tails around them like a scarf to stay warm.
They have short, round ears that hold in heat. A wide nose warms cold
outside air as they breathe. Their large paws act like snowshoes to keep
them from sinking into the snow.
Snow leopards are endangered. They face poaching (illegal hunting) for
their coats. Their bones are also traded for use in traditional medicines.
Another threat is farming, which has caused the cats’ habitat to shrink.
Farmers also hunt snow leopards to protect their livestock.
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Name:
Date:
Comparing Creatures
Giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and snow leopards look
and act quite differently. But they do have some things in common.
Directions: Pick two of the animals. Write their names as headings in
the Venn diagram. Then choose items from the “Animal Features” box
that describe each animal. Write the features in the part of the diagram
belonging to the animal. Place any features both animals share in the
area where their circles overlap.
Animal 1:
giant
panda
golden
snub-nosed
monkeyis not written
( China’s language
snow
leopard
Animal 2:
Both
Animal Features
covered in fur
thumblike bone
hunts other animals
orange hair
black-circled rings
strong jaws
climbs trees
eats plants
eats bamboo
endangered species
lives where it’s cold
short nose
lives in mountain forests
vulnerable species
blue face
long tail
lives in the rocky parts
of mountains
paws act as snowshoes
jumps long distances
thick coat